Blue and white all over

It's that time of year again.

When our world turns
blue and white.

There is the occasional other color
on the landscape.....
maybe a red barn
or an orange cotton module cover.

The bright red,
yellow
or
green
of
a tractor
or
cotton stripper.

But mostly -----

it's just
blue and white all over.

Beautiful, breathtaking,
horizon to horizon
blue sky
over
a field of brilliant white.

I sure do love this land.

Gwynie Pie

Shades of R E D

I adore nail polishes.

I regularly stop in the store just to admire the lovely colors.
I have a LOT of polish --- 38 bottles of it.

Just recently it was pointed out to me (again) that although I have a lot of bottles ---

"all of them are red"

WHAT????

Are NOT !!! Are not!

I have a ton of different colors.

And I can prove it ---

there is Cherries in the Snow

Double Decker Red

Smitten with Mittens

Cajun Shrimp

Frankly Scarlet

Ruby Red Stilettos..............just to name a few.

Well........okay................maybe they are all in the "red family", but
they are all so very different.

So I got thinking......maybe my kids are right about this.

I need to branch out a little. Try a new color. Something way different.

So browsing at CVS the other day, I spied a new "Fall" color and thought
"Why not?"

















Ocean Breeze Blue.

Hey. That's the very name of the Krylon spray paint I've been splashing
throughout the house all summer.

I'm sure that is just a coincidence.

After I painted my toes, I held up my foot to show Pops.
"Do you think this color is too young for my 58 year old foot?"

"Nope. I like it. It's shiny."

Done.

Gwynie Pie

Autumn Quiz

In reading through some fun blogs today, I found this little "quiz".

AUTUMN in my kitchen means ...........
soups, stews
breads
warmth
laughter -- Fun!


AUTUMN in my home brings..............
we bring in --- the wood for the fireplace
we bring out --- the throws and quilts
we bring on ---a little bit slower pace to life



I bring AUTUMN indoors by.................
decorating with as many natural elements as I can
They aren't always "real" but I like them to at
least look real. I love decorating with
gourds, pumpkins, squash,
nuts and leaves.


A few favorite AUTUMN activities are ...........
The Woodchopper's Ball (this scene is from last
year) and .....it's nearly that time again.
and
we love just being able to sit out of the back
porch without roasting......to drink a cup of coffee
and just take life a little easier......visit.....laugh
And
we play host to my family reunion at the end of
September -- next Sat. in fact......always fun!
.......I love those people !!!!







Two favorite AUTUMN recipes are..............
Skillet Cake

and

Pumpkin Penne
(I'll share both recipes in a coming post)
















This AUTUMN I would like to........................
let's see????.............hmmmmm.............

Spend some quality time with my kids, their spouses and the grand.

I'd love !!!! to get to have 2 days off in a row so William and I could go to Fredericksburg during October. Never been. Been to Fredericksburg many, many times, just not ever in October. Love Fredericksburg and the Hill Country.

......and......oh yeah............Beat EVERYBODY!!!! Gig 'Em Aggies !!!


Gwynie Pie

Kitchen Revival

Warming up the kitchen with *zero* dollars
and
minimal painting as well as minimal
effort ---

That was the goal.

One can of paint later --

"Alfalfa"
by Kilz at Walmart

and
a can of Krylon spray paint
"Blue Ocean Breeze"

a roll of red and white houndstooth
print wrapping paper from Hob-Lob

and
that's pretty much it as far as
new stuff goes.

This e-NOR-mous counter is probably my favorite piece of furniture
in the whole house.

It was used in the general store my grandparents ran in the 1930's thru 50's
here in Mereta.

The counter once had glass on this side to display various wares.
The storekeepers stood on the other side.

The top is so scratched up and dented and scraped --- how I wish it
could talk ----- the stories it could tell.



Gwynie Pie

I have long wanted to put glass doors on my upper kitchen cabinets.

But that just seems like such an undertaking.

Especially when..............

what I REALLY want to do is paint the cabinets white.

But ----------------what I really, really, REALLY want ------------ knock out a wall

open up the kitchen to the dining room and living room.

That isn't going to be happening any time soon. Nor the painting of the cabinets.

my mother made me promise.

long story.

:)















Sooooo, in browsing through some of my favorite blogs,
I was inspired by
the story of a kitchen that could not be painted
because the landlord said "no" and
do you know what that clever renter did????


She completely covered every single part of her cabinets with white contact paper. It cost about $10.00
for the entire room. And it looks spectacular !!!!

















So --- being inspired --- I just decided instead of painting the outside of the cabinets,
I would change up the inside of them. With wrapping paper.


Hobby Lobby has some of the most beautiful wrapping paper right now.

Paisleys, polka dots, damask, stripes and this beautiful houndstooth design.

I cut the strips to fit the back of the shelves, spray a little(lot) of adhesive on the back side of
the paper and press into place.

Oh yeah - I removed the doors entirely.

I LOVE the new look.

It just completes the bright, old-fashioned look I have going on.
Right now.

Stick around.....it'll change.

Liking it a lot!











("antique" cookbook collection)

Gwynie Pie

Fall is a comin' .....

....................I'm just certain it is.

Doesn't exactly feel like it yet.

You know --- that fragrance in the morning air....

.....a little occasional breeze with a promise of
more cool where that came from.............

Not

here

yet.



That doesn't stop my Fall decorating desire from getting all
stirred up.

And so......I've moved some furniture around.



Warming up areas around the house.

Getting down all those boxes marked "FALL".


'Cause you just never know when you'll
wake up one morning ----------and there it is !!!!












I can not wait !!! How 'bout you????
















Gwynie Pie

Clothesline Questions ??????????????

What is it about clothes drying outside on a line

that is so very appealing to me?

Is it because it is such a rare thing these days

that the sight always catches my eye?

as well as my imagination............... And what is it about me hanging MY clothes on the line that

makes me feel like a total success?

.....like I've scaled Everest....

.....run and won a marathon.....

.....been crowned Queen --- of something?.....

There is just something so rejuvenating and stirring about it.

Do you feel that way too?

Or

is it just me?

What?

I'm just full of questions today I guess.

?

Gwynie Pie

Mud on the Tires

What???

You mean you don't let your 3 year old drive the Ranger?

....wearing nothin' but her underpants?

....with a Jigsy dog boy helping?
Blake, Colin, Ronnie, Pops and Lily Kate spent several
hours down at the ranch spraying (killing) mesquite trees
and clearing some of the land.

A little fishing was done. Very little.

Mostly just hot sweaty, dirty workin'.

The Ranger got stuck in the mud
and Ronnie and Colin had to push while
Pops drove it out.

They got a little mud on the tires.
....and themselves.
Muddy, but happy, peeps.















Gwynie Pie

The Rosser/Boles
Wednesday through Monday
Labor Day
Extravaganza
is
over
Everyone left
at about 1:00 today,
headed back to their homes
and work weeks.

We had a fantastic time
with everyone here,
minus one :(

The food was good.
Oh man, was it good.

Biscuits
Killer green beans
Grilled chicken
Ribs - new recipe that is a Winner!!!
Pecan Tarts
Turtle Brownies
Cream Cheese Pound Cake

and THAT was just Saturday's menu.

We are sweeping, vacuuming and
doing a little laundry,
getting it all back together
and looking forward
to the next time everyone is here.....
which is 2 weeks and 2 days from now
when we host the
Green Reunion
and Lily Kate's 4th birthday !!!!!

Can't wait!!!

Gwynie Pie

and AFTER

See previous post for the
few Befores of this room.

Dark and hot

This room was the "last frontier".
The very last room to get
painted
and prettied.

Only took me 8 1/2 years to get to it.

We are all liking the results.

Dainty Green paint by Kilz
Quilt -- found somewhere by GG, my mom.
The sweet throw pillowcases I found on a
flea market shopping spree --
they are embroidered with
"Mr"
and
"Mrs"
I just stuff the bottom half of the cases
with fluff,
then tied with pretty antique pink ribbons
and let the pretty part
flop over so it was what shows.

The cute little speaker on the bedside table
was rescued from a church re-do.
And the little leather "calendar"
on the Singer is one of my
Papaw's treasures.
So sweet.

Gwynie Pie

BEFORE

Calm.....before the FUN!!!!!

Standing here in the kitchen.

Serene

Clean

Calm

In just a few minutes.....
the weekend fun begins.

Blake, Dana and Lily Kate
Colin and Ronnie

are coming in tonight
for
Labor Day weekend.

Helping with prescribed burns tomorrow.

Pops cookin' up the ribs and chicken Friday.

Just hangin' Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

Ahhhhhhh
life is good!

Can't wait to see my little
redhead !!!

Gwynie Pie

It's a ...it's a.....What the heck is it???

I LOVE this thing.

I don't know it's proper name,
but isn't it just so cute???

A piece of equipment used by grain farmers,
this is a hopper, a grain trailer....
there is an auger involved
and it is pulled into the field
where grain harvest is going on.

There -- the combine comes by and fills
it up and from there the
"spout" there on the side
shoots out the grain
into a truck that takes the grain
to the gin to be sold.

But------

don't you think it looks like a character
from Star Wars???

OR

Actually, when I spot these things out in fields
I always think of
giraffes !

All it would take is a can of brown spray paint
and a really, good dark night
and
voila ----

some lucky farmer could be pulling
a giraffe trailer to the gin.

Who's with me????

:)

Gwynie Pie